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NTSB: Co-Pilot "Visibly Upset" Before Exiting Plane Midair; Florida Court: 16-Year-Old Girl Not "Mature" Enough for Abortion; CDC Reorganizing, Focusing on Restoring Public Trust; Hackers Working to Protect Next Election; Bible Among 41 Books Taken Off Texas School District's Shelves. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired August 17, 2022 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[13:32:16]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN HOST: We are learning more about the moments just before a co-pilot exited a plane in midair without a parachute. His body was later found in someone's backyard.

There's a new report from the NTSB that -- from last month, that incident in North Carolina, saying that he was, quote, "visibly upset over an earlier incident."

We're joined by CNN aviation correspondent, Pete Muntean.

Pete, this is a very troubling story. What happened here?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: This initial NTSB report, Alex, really fills in some of the blanks, after there was a lot of intrigue when this first happened on July 29th.

These two pilots were on board the airplane. It was a sky diving operation. They had made two runs of sky divers at an airport in Raeford, North Carolina.

The co-pilot was flying the plane. And this is what really set everything off. On the third run to pick up sky divers, the plane landed too hard at this airport in Raeford and part of the right landing gear came off.

The plane and the pilots then went around, decided to go to Raleigh- Durham International Airport. And this is where it gets kind of odd.

The NTSB report lays out, after interviewing the surviving pilot here, that the co-pilot onboard got sick, essentially threw up outside of the airplane out of the window that slides open on the right side of the airplane and went to the back of the plane. It has a big door in the back for sky divers.

I want you to read this quote from the National Transportation Safety Board report.

It says, "The second-in-command pilot" -- the co-pilot -- "lowered the ramp in the back of the airplane indicating he felt like he was going to be sick and needed air. The pilot in command stated the second-in- command got up from his seat, removed his headset, apologized and then departed the plane via the aft ramp door."

The pilot, the co-pilot in this incident was not wearing a parachute and the pilot who was left flying the airplane essentially explained to air traffic control that my pilot just left outside of the back of the airplane.

The pilot who was still flying circled for a while, tried to find his co-pilot to no avail. Came in and landed at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. A bit of a crash landing there.

And then was interviewed later by the NTSB. That's how we know all of the new details, Alex.

A sad outcome here from what was initially thought that maybe the pilot slipped and fell out of the plane, tried to inspect this damage from the initial incident, but clearly that's not the case here.

MARQUARDT: Sounds like he walked right out the back. That's a sad story and clearly a lot more questions unanswered.

Pete Muntean, thank you so much for explaining all that.

Now to Florida, where an appeals court has blocked a parentless and pregnant 16-year-old girl -- 16 years old -- from getting an abortion without her guardian's consent. The judge's ruling that the girl isn't, quote, "sufficiently mature enough" to end that pregnancy.

[13:35:09]

CNN's Leyla Santiago is in Miami.

Leyla, she's not mature enough to have an abortion but she is mature enough to have this child?

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is the question a lot of people when they review this case. And we should mention that this is time sensitive.

What we know is that this individual was about or is about 11 weeks pregnant. And the reason that's time sensitive is because, remember, last month a new law went into effect in Florida that essentially bans abortions after 15 weeks with some exceptions.

Let's talk about what we know about Jane Doe 22B. That's what she's described as in the court records.

As you mentioned described as parentless, jobless, though working on a GED. She is living with her relatives and does have an appointed guardian. So that means she falls under the care of the state.

And for whatever reason, she was petitioning the court to be able to get an abortion without consent of a parent or guardian, which is required by law in the state of Florida.

And the judge basically said what you mentioned earlier, Alex, she is not mature enough to make a decision at this time. That then went to the appeals court and they upheld that.

I want to read to you part what have one judge wrote in his partial dissent.

In it, it says, "The minor was knowledgeable about the relevant considerations for terminating her pregnancy."

"She had done Google searches and reviewed a pamphlet she and a family got from a visit to a medical clinic to gain an understanding about her medical options and consequences."

It went on to say, "The trial court noted that the minor acknowledges she is not ready for emotional, physical or financial responsibility of raising a child and has valid concerns about her ability to raise a child."

While that one judge said she was not mature enough to make this decision, this teen said that she was mature enough to make the decision.

So what happens next? As one judge mentioned, she could go back to court. That is absolutely one of the options. And also while the guardian's consent still remains in question, that's another avenue without the courts here -- Alex?

MARQUARDT: A very, very difficult situation involving a very young woman.

Leyla Santiago, in Miami, Florida, thank you so much.

Now after facing blistering criticism for several mistakes in dealing with the pandemic, the top CDC leaders met this morning to discuss sweeping changes inside the CDC. The goal? Changing the culture and restoring public trust.

CNN health reporter, Jacqueline Howard, joins us now.

Jacqueline, can you explain to us what the CDC is saying?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Absolutely, Alex. This is CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky's announcement to reform and modernize the agency.

As you mentioned, this comes after some criticism the agency received when it comes to its COVID-19 response.

As well as this is following back in April when it was announced that there was going to be a review and evaluation of the agency.

Let's take a look at the new CDC efforts that have been announced. Number one, the agency says it plans to share scientific findings and data much faster. Number two, there are plans to translate science into more practical

and easy-to-understand policy. Number three, prioritize public health communications.

And number four, promote results-based partnerships. So they plan to work more effectively with public health partners. And then number five, Alex, develop a workforce prepared for future emergencies.

When it comes to the workforce, this overhaul will impact more than 12,000 employees within the agency. And of course, this is coming amid two major public health emergencies here in the U.S., the monkeypox outbreak and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

So we'll be watching this closely, Alex, to see how this impacts the agency internally as well as externally, you know, when it comes to rebuilding and restoring the public's trust -- Alex?

MARQUARDT: CDC has had so much to deal with over the past few years.

HOWARD: Absolutely.

MARQUARDT: Jacqueline Howard, in Atlanta, thank you so much for your reporting.

[13:39:23]

Now, a lot of hackers get a bad rap. But two years after former President Donald Trump launched his false voter fraud claims, some hackers are now using their skills to protect the next election. We'll have that report next.

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MARQUARDT: Two years after the 2020 presidential election conspiracy theories about voter fraud, certainly show no sign of going anywhere and neither are the people who push them.

Case in point, Liz Cheney's landslide loss to an election denier just last night.

The vast majority of disinformation and misinformation is stoked online.

But a group of hackers is launching a fresh effort to end the lies and protect the 2024 election.

Here's CNN's Donie O'Sullivan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRI HURSTI, ELECTION SYSTEM EXPERT: So the conspiracy claims all the time evolved. That once one head of the hydra is cut down, the second head pops up.

[13:45:02] DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've had two years of nonstop conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, many of which center around these, voting machines, that they were in some way hacked and used to steal votes and to steal the election.

We are here at DEF CON in Las Vegas, which some people called hacker summer camp. And hackers are doing their very best this weekend to break into these voting machines.

Isn't what you're doing here by tearing these machines apart and showing that they can be vulnerable? Is that not just going to play into more of the fears, more of the conspiracy theories about the election?

CAT TERRANOVA, DEF CON VOTING VILLAGE ORGANIZER: I think a lot of these fears and these conspiracies really thrive in darkness.

Here, we have like a clear box model where we open things up if you're able to look inside, and you're actually able to get your hands on these voting machines yourself.

It's not that there are not vulnerabilities within these machines that needs to be addressed. Just because there are vulnerabilities, doesn't mean that they were manipulated or exploited in the way that certain parties are saying that they are.

O'SULLIVAN: How are -- you've spent the weekend tearing apart voting machines? You've talked a lot about vulnerabilities. But have you ever found evidence that vulnerabilities have been used to change the results of an American election?

HURSTI: Never. Same comes with all the auto experts. We have always said that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. We have never seen that kind of evidence.

CHRIS KREBS, FORMER DIRECTOR, DHS CYBERSECURITY & INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY AGENCY: Vulnerabilities exist in in almost all software regardless of where you find it. Even in, you know, nuclear power plants, you'll find that.

There are a system of defenses and protections to ensure that a bad guy can't get to them. And those exists in voting systems as well.

O'SULLIVAN: Chris Krebs oversaw election security at DHS for the 2020 election before being fired by Trump for speaking out against conspiracy theories.

KREBS: The biggest vulnerability in democracy is the people. It's the brains. It's the perception hack.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Cyber experts here say the big challenge to the 2022 midterms is not the machines. It's misinformation.

HURSTI: I'm afraid even what I know the vulnerabilities of the systems are more of right about misinformation claiming an attack, which actually didn't happen, and which will then get the holding in people's mind.

MICHAEL MOORE, INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER, MARICOPA COUNTY RECORDER: We want to focus on pushing security forward and instead we're responding to death threats.

O'SULLIVAN: Nate Young and Michael Moore know all about conspiracy theories. They're part of the election security team for Maricopa County in Arizona, a ground zero of election lies.

They're here to work with hackers to make elections more secure by exposing vulnerabilities and getting them fixed.

NATE YOUNG, DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, MARICOPA COUNTY RECORDER: We have not seen a single accusation or conspiracy theory that has produced any actual tangible results.

O'SULLIVAN: Conspiracy theories like those being pushed by the likes of The My Pillow Guy who basically claims countries like China have hacked American elections and changed votes.

MIKE LINDELL, CEO, MYPILLOW: No. Just forget about the evidence. If I'm right, then China took our country right now. Do you care? Would that bother you?

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): How does it feel as a voting systems experts listening to people like Michael Lindell?

HURSTI: It makes me sad. It makes me sad from the fact that all of the resources, all of the energy, which could have been used for something beneficial, improving is now misused.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Misused to perpetuate misinformation that undermines American democracy.

KREBS: The further the narrative goes on, the firmer and gets set in stone. You repeat the lie long enough, and then many times it becomes kind of that reality, their reality.

Ultimately, this comes down to the voters. What do people want? Do we want to be a democracy? And if the answer is, yes, better start damn acting like it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT: The fear. That is the fear here, the doubt and the fear.

[13:49:07]

Now a Texas school district has removed 41 books from its shelves before kids return to class. Among them the Bible. Why? That's next.

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MARQUARDT: Kids in one Texas school district are back in school, but dozens of books that once filled the shelves are not. We're talking about 41 books in all, including any version of the Bible and an illustrated adaptation of Anne Frank's diary.

Educators were ordered to remove them just hours before the kids returned to the school for the new year.

CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us now.

Ed, what happened here? Why were these books removed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The controversy over books in public schools in Texas continues.

These books in question, 41 all together, they were actually reviewed last year by a community panel. By my count, the school district publicizes that list, about two-thirds of those books were either returned to the shelves or put in more age-appropriate libraries.

But what has happened since then is that, in May, three new school board members were elected to the school district in Keller, Texas. This is where all this is happening, a school district north of Ft. Worth.

That school district and that school board is saying the school board should have more say. They've adopted new policies in reviewing these books. So, essentially, they're starting all over.

In the meantime, Alex, all 41 of these books are being pulled from the shelves once again.

[13:55:02]

MARQUARDT: And what, Ed, is specifically the issue with the Bible in that library?

LAVANDERA: It's hard to say because what happened last year when these books could be challenged is that anybody, a parent or anybody who lives in the school district, could issue a challenge.

It could be for any variety of reasons. Then it would be brought forth before a committee and they would debate all of that.

The Bible, for example, was one of those books that was deemed to be OK for the school district. It was put back on the shelves. But now, because of this school board policy change, it is being reviewed once again.

MARQUARDT: All right, Ed Lavandera, in Dallas, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

That does it for me. I'll see you right back here tomorrow.

Don't go anywhere. The news continues right after this.

Have a good week.

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